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Figulina fires up its next chapter.
From humble beginnings in 2024 to a James Beard Best New Restaurant semifinalist nod only about a year later, DTR pasta darling Figulina has never stopped evolving. Now, it’s literally turning up the heat—adding a fryer, grill and other equipment to broaden the menu, following a weeklong closure Jan. 5–12.
“We’ve been working with saute, which is great, but we haven’t been able to do, say, fried apps,” says chef-owner David Ellis, teasing a potential arancini addition—plus new “nibbles” feat. the likes of marinated olives, house focaccia and spiced nuts. “We’ll be able to bring some more textures into our cuisine this way,” not to mention new cooking techniques unlocked by the reno.
The grill will also expand Figulina’s “Mountain-to-Sea” section—entree-size plates beyond the core rotating pastas—from two dishes to four or five. Think shareable proteins like lamb loin chops, braised beef cheek, pan-seared scallops, and grilled whole branzino.
Ellis stresses the revamp is something he’s wanted to do from the start—and the January pause provides the perfect timing. “You don’t really get the opportunity to close too many times to do some big changes,” he notes. “We didn’t want to just close and rest our laurels. … This is what made sense to me.”
At its core, the refreshed menu will stay true to Figulina’s Italian-meets-Southern pastacentric MO, but Ellis plans to lean further into his British culinary roots as well—already visible at brunch (bubble and squeak, English scones, and crumpets in the eggs Benny). One definite new dinner addition? Scotch egg—a soft-boiled egg wrapped in nduja sausage, bread-crumbed and fried.
“It’s delicious, but you don’t really see a whole lot of that around here,” maintains Ellis. “I wasn’t sure how the feedback would be on going super heavy on the British side—but it’s been good and I want to lean into it a little bit more.”
Between the kitchen revamp, revived grab-and-go lunch, new Monday hours, special dinners, Sunday patio hangs, and the fleshed-out provisions store, Ellis and his crew prove they’re not afraid to adapt.
“The restaurant’s always been evolving from day one—we didn’t just open and say, ‘This is it; it’s going to be this forever,’” he says. “We hope to stay in that whole world of James Beard. … We’re just gonna keep doing what we’re doing: serving delicious food and making people happy—and if that happens, it happens.”
And who knows—maybe next year Michelin will come calling too. figulinaraleigh.com
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